Rajya Sabha poll results 2022: As BJP wins 3 out of 6 seats in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar says `not surprised`

Commenting on the Maharashtra Rajya Sabha poll results, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said, `The miracle happened because BJP`s Devendra Fadnavis managed to get the Independents on their side...which made all the difference. But this will not affect the stability of government (Maha Vikas Aghadi).`

New Delhi: As the BJP bagged three out of the six seats in the Maharashtra Rajya Sabha election 2022, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday (June 11) credited the victory to former chief minister and saffron party leader Devendra Fadnavis, adding that he is not surprised by the results. "The result doesn`t surprise me. Congress, Shiv Sena, and NCP have been voted as per the quota, except (NCP`s) Praful Patel who has received an extra vote - that vote is not from MVA, it`s from the other side. We had fewer votes for the sixth seat but Shiv Sena fielded its candidate and tried to make him win. BJP had the support of many independent MLAs and we had only a few," Pawar told ANI. 

He said BJP won as it got the backing from the Independents. "The miracle happened because BJP`s Devendra Fadnavis managed to get the Independents on their side...which made all the difference. But this will not affect the stability of government (Maha Vikas Aghadi)," Pawar added.

The NCP supremo further said he will discuss the upcoming Presidential elections with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Sunday.

In the Rajya Sabha polls 2022 in Maharashtra, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, former state minister Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik from the BJP secured victory while one candidate each from Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)— Sanjay Raut, Imran Pratapgarhi and Praful Patel— bagged an easy victory. As many as 285 votes were polled on Friday and candidates required 41 votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. 

Addressing the media, Devendra Fadnavis said he was “very happy” that BJP’s three candidates were elected to the Rajya Sabha. The sixth seat in Maharashtra witnessed a hot contest between BJP’s Dhananjay Mahadik and Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Pawar, where the former secured victory.

Moreover, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had extended support to Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ahead of the polls and said its two Maharashtra MLAs will vote for Congress candidate Imran Pratapgarhi. 

(With agency inputs)